Globe opens ICT labs in Malapascua Island schools

MANILA, Philippines - Leading telecommunications company Globe Telecom equips two schools in the tiny island of Malapascua at the northernmost tip of Cebu province with computer laboratories to enhance the learning experience of elementary and high school students in the area.

The project was a contribution of Globe to the National Teachers’ Month being celebrated in the country from Sept. 5 to Oct. 5 every year.

“By providing Logon schools with ICT labs, we are able to encourage critical thinking among the teachers and students while linking them to the rest of the world.  We want to give them equal chance to more advanced learning opportunities even if they are far from the city center,” said Fernando Esguerra, OIC, Globe Corporate Social Responsibility.

The ICT labs were placed in Logon Elementary School, the only school in Malapascua offering the full Kto 12 program; and Logon High School, the only secondary school in the island. The ICT laboratories in both schools were each provided with an 11-user Multipoint System, the revolutionary technology for education that consists of a special central processing unit powerful enough to serve 4 to 6 workstations.

Each station operates without individual CPUs, only requiring a monitor, keyboard, and mouse. They run independently from each other but are monitored and controlled by a host computer which allows the teachers to share files to students, check reports, and provide feedback to multiple users with just a few clicks.

The Multipoint System reduces dramatically the costs for computer upgrades and troubleshooting as well as lessens the use of electricity.

Once the teachers and students have mastered the system, the schools will eventually be opened to neighboring schools for teacher training on ICT proficiency.

Logon High School is being eyed as the next Global Filipino School after Bilar National High School in Bohol. Being a GFS involves receiving further ICT proficiency training and transforming the school into a center for teacher training in Malapascua.